I Can't Let Her Go, Fading Memories
by WhiteHouses28
Summary: After defeating the EarthKingdom, Zuko has returned home to the FireNation. But when Zuko finds an old artifact from a past life, he suddenly recalls part of a memory he should never have forgotten, and he begins to unravel the truth about Ava-and himself


Zuko sighed. He was almost done cleaning out his room and getting rid of all his unwanted junk. He had not inhabited this room since he was 13, and you do a lot of growing up in 3 years and most of all the stuff you used to love, doesn't thrill you the same way as it did when you were a kid.

It had been one week since the earth-kingdoms defeat at Ba Sing Se and for the first time in 3 long years Zuko had returned home to the fire nation. It felt good to be back. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed his home until he'd arrived. Everything seemed to have shifted slightly. Become more prestejeos, the palace seemed to have an air of business to it than a homey feeling. But then, homey feelings weren't always the best, in his opinion. The palace had also been alot bigger in his memory, but then he supposed this had a lot to do with growing up too.

Zuko was done with almost all the cleaning and organizing. Except for one spot. His closet. He opened the doors and was assulted by several pairs of dress clothes from his younger days that he distinctly remembered hating a lot. He took out all of these and then proceeded to the shoes. He had almost decided that it would be easier to just tell the servants to throw everything out rather than sort through it himself, when he found something that caught his interest and sparked a faint memory at the back of his mind.

It was a box. The box was small and wooden, with ornate red flowers hand painted on the lid and complicated gold swirls creating a border on it's edge. Zuko took the box out of where it had been hiding at the back of his closet and carefully opened the lid to it.

Zuko stared down. The only thing the box contained was a small, yellow, flowered hair comb.

Zuko's heart suddenly gave a jolt. He remembered this comb. Someone had givin it to him all those years ago as a keep sake. They had meant for him to take it with him on his hunt for the Avatar, but he hadn't.

The sad thing was that he couldn't remember why the person had givin it to him, or who they were. Zuko could recall their face perfectly, but not the name.

*Flash back*

3 years ago, after Zuko's fight with his father...

Zuko stood alone on the sharp moor cliff, looking out to sea. His damaged eye still stung, but Zuko ignored the feeling. He had no time for pain, he must concentrate only on capturing the Avatar.

A girl was coming up the hill behind Zuko, her beautiful tiger-lilly patterned dress was blowing about her lightly in the wind. Her long, dark brown hair whipping out behind her. She had a pale yellow comb in her hair with a beautiful flower on it.

The girl reached out a hand and touched Zuko on the shoulder once she got close enough. This startled him.

"Ava! It's only you," said Zuko, turning, his angry expression fading when he saw who it was. His face now looked troubled.

"Hi Zuko," Ava said smiling. She had a honey-sweet smile.

"I didn't thin k you would be here, I mean-- don't you have work?"

Ava looked down at her feet guiltily. "I wasn't supposed to leave," she confessed. "But when I heard what had happened-- I had to come. Oh, Zuko, I'm so sorry."

She looked at him with a look of sorrow. Zuko turned away from her.

"It doesn't matter. I'll be back soon. I'll capture the Avatar and bring him here. Then my father will restore my honor."

Ava looked uncertain. "But Zuko, no one's seen him in over a hundred years. I'm not so sure this will be that easy to do."

"I know what I have to do, Ava! I will bring him home here! Soon."

Ava smiled gently and placed her soft hand in his. "I know. I have faith in you Zuko."

Zuko felt her hand slip out of his, but when it did, she left something behind.

"I will wait for you, Zuko," said Ava from behind him.

Zuko looked down at what she'd left in his hand. It was a yellow flowered hair comb. A keep sake, no doubt to remember her by when he was on his hunt. Zuko turned back around to say thank you, but Ava was now gone. She left as quietly as she came.

*End Flashback*

"Ava," Zuko murmured. "Yes, that was her name."

Zuko put the hair comb back in it's box. But instead of putting it back inside the closet, he went over and layed the box on his bedside table.

Coming out of his trance Zuko realized he still had his old things strewn all over his floor and went off to fetch the servants to get rid of it.


End file.
